More supporters of the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) support the legalisation of marijuana for medicinal and religious purposes, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said in parliament last week, citing a poll conducted in October.
The Unity Labour Party paid for the poll, which was conducted by Peter Wickham, director at Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).
“… among other things, it found that 45 per cent of the population would support the decriminalisation of marijuana for medicinal and religious purposes, while 44 per cent say they wouldn’t change at all; they would like to keep the law as it,” Gonsalves said while responding to a question from Sen. Linton Lewis, an opposition lawmaker.
“And what is interesting, … more persons in the 45 per cent come from the New Democratic Party,” Gonsalves said, adding, “… it is true that the issue cuts across party line”.
“How you mean he has to be a stupid fella?” the Prime Minister said in response to crosstalk not audible in the live broadcast.
“You ain’t hear what he telling you? More NDP people like the marijuana. He can’t extract that information. He must be smoking,” MP for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock, an opposition lawmaker said.
“If a professional does a poll, and he is … also doing checks about apolitical support for the NDP and the ULP, political support for various candidates and the like, he can then cross-tabulate the data and to see those in the same questionnaires who say they are going to vote NDP and ULP in relation to the issue to their stance on marijuana. It is a simple matter. … I am sure that my honourable friend from Central Kingstown knows polling 101, sampling 101,” Gonsalves said, as Leacock interjected, “Professional what!”
Sen. Lewis had asked whether the Government has any plans to introduced medical marijuana legislation in Parliament, to which the Prime Minister said no.
Read: PM has no plan to pass medical marijuana law
The Prime Minister, who has called on CARICOM to debate the issue of medical marijuana, said if it is not addressed sensibly, the region will be buying medical marijuana drugs out of the United States.
He said that whether the people support the issue, they will support him for raising it.
He further said that some of his own supporters may not agree with him, while a lot of NDP supporters may be happy, saying that young people might not be criminalised unnecessarily.
Among other things, Wickham’s poll found that the ULP, which has a one-seat majority in Parliament, could have won between two and four additional seats, if general elections were called in October.
Stupeeessss.
The poll that he refuse to give the sample size for people suppose to take serious. Nobody knows if the polled 50, 500 or 5,000 persons………try again.
Secondly, wonder if the “more NDP supporters polled knew that the entire thing was defendant on CARICOM saying yes ? Guess in polling 101 & sampling 101 these things don’t really matter.
Oh1 Oh! Now the US will control the sale of marijuana to CARICOM. Something is wrong here. This is why there is a reluctance of the US to allow marijuana for any reason at all, until it can get involve with the scheme. Marijuana is a billion dollar industry and the Pharmaceutical body wants to control it. This includes the CARICOM countries where some of the best marijuana is planted. There are many political investors in the Pharmaceutical industry and they would vote to ensure it is under their control to get a piece of the pie. The same pie they have used to destroy many young and black lives. There are still many black people in jail because of marijuana. How ironic that the same governments that sent folks to jail now want to get involved in an illegal issue they perpetrated for years.
What is Ralph waiting for? Many states in the US are decimalizing marijuana use for medical purposes. I hope people dont fall for the new rules that CARICOM may implement. I am sure Jamaicans will want to control their use of marijuana. They have been doing it for years and no Yankee government will change that.
Legalize the weed ,regulate and tax it…just like rum and cigarette. THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS BEEN A COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE.
Wouldn’t it be of epic proportion if Mr Eustace to come out and say, the NDP WILL LEGALIZE WEED IN OUR FIRST TERM IN OFFICE. LET ME TELL YOU, IN MY YOUNGER DAYS I SMOKE THE CHRONIC BUT I DIDN’T INHALE!!…picture, Mr Eustace is now leading the crowd in chanting:
Gimme de weed
Good sensi weed
Ganja we love it, holla “yes indeed”
Gimme de weeda
Good ganja weed
Ganja we love it, holla “yes indeed”
Ganja ah de healing of de nation
Ohh waaahhhh oooohhhhhh, yeah
…LOL…I say the NDP would win in a landslide.